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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7536126" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 232</p><p></p><p>Xeeta woke in a dank stone chamber. A foul odor assaulted her nostrils, but the smell was quickly overwhelmed by a sharp spike of pain as she tried to lift her head. She groaned and tried to get a better look at her surroundings without moving.</p><p></p><p>It was dark, but her tiefling heritage allowed her to make out details of the chamber. Not that there was much to see. There was one exit, a narrow opening in one wall that was warded by a heavy iron gate. An iron pipe as thick around as her waist emerged from one wall and exited via the opposite. It was heavily flaked with rust but looked no less solid for it.</p><p></p><p>She tried again to get up, slowly shifting her hands to support her. That was when she realized that she was restrained. That recognition overcame her pain, and she scrambled up, ignoring the angry pulses of protest inside her skull. She was secured by shackles that linked to a chain that circled around the pipe. A second chain attached to an iron cuff wrapped tight around her neck.</p><p></p><p>A guttural sound came from her throat as she yanked hard on the chains. Panic gave her strength, but the chains were so thick that even Quellan would not have been able to part them with raw strength alone. The thought of her friends allowed some hint of clarity to slip back into her mind. She released the chains and turned to her magic. For a moment she feared that her captors had done something to restrict her powers, but then she felt a surge of relief as the Demon stirred within her.</p><p></p><p>Her first effort was an <em>alter self</em> spell. She shifted her form to become taller and leaner. With an effort she was able to slip the shackles off her wrists, ignoring the fresh pains as the metal edges scraped her skin. She turned to the band around her neck, but while it had loosened there was no way she could get it over her head. She pushed the spell as far as she could, until she could feel the bones grinding in her head, but it was no use. Defeated, she slumped back to the floor, resuming her normal form.</p><p></p><p>She had no idea how long she sat there like that, but eventually a sound drew her attention up. It had come from the direction of the gate. She shuffled as far as the chain would allow her in that direction, but the sound was not repeated.</p><p></p><p>She slid the loose chain from around the pipe. The manacles at the ends gave them decent weight, but they would be useless as a weapon if she could not get free of the neck shackle. She considered pulling the chain taut and striking it with one of the manacles, but realized that the sound of metal striking metal would echo throughout this place. She suspected that she was somewhere in the sewers under Li Syval. She had spent some time in those foul tunnels while working for the cult, but she did not recognize this particular location. With luck, she’d be able to get her bearings once she was out of this cell.</p><p></p><p>She pulled on the chain and held it tight against the pipe. She summoned her magic and unleashed a stream of fire against it. The flames surged against the iron, searing away flakes of rust, filling the room with heat. Smoke swirled around her but she kept on, sharpening her focus until the fire roared like an angry beast. The chain and the surrounding pipe began to glow, and she could feel the heat swelling in the hand holding the chain. She let it go, using just the tension of the manacle around her neck to keep the chain taut. It was becoming difficult to breathe. Still she kept up the flame. She poured everything she had from her reservoir into the assault, until the band around her neck began to sear against her flesh. She yanked back, trying to part the heated chain, but it held. She lifted the loose chain to strike, but she hesitated as she felt something else stirring within her. It was the Demon, called by the swelling of her magic, eager to be set free.</p><p></p><p>Sudden panic filled her and she released the flames. She fell to the floor, coughing, trying to ignore the pain of her burned neck.</p><p></p><p>“Impressive,” came a voice from the grate. “Truly, you have grown.”</p><p></p><p>She spun reflexively and hurled a <em>fire bolt</em> that streaked toward the exit. Her cast had been accurate, but as the burning streak approached the iron bars it suddenly dissolved into nothing.</p><p></p><p>“Kalev,” she breathed. “I thought you were dead.”</p><p></p><p>“I survived,” he said. “No thanks to you and your friends.”</p><p></p><p>“I dreamed of your death,” she said. “I pictured a hundred scenarios where you met the fate you have earned.”</p><p></p><p>“The circle was broken,” he said, “But I held on, lived on through the long aftermath unleashed by your betrayal. I knew, you see. Knew you or one of your escaped kin would return here one day. You are part of us, and we are part of you. When I felt you start to draw close, I knew that our hour of rebirth was upon us.”</p><p></p><p>She recoiled from his words, but forced herself to remain alert, to look for any opening that might present itself. She could vaguely sense the protective aura that surrounded him, the field that had disrupted her spell. That was potent magic indeed, and beyond what she remembered from before. That meant that she could not rely upon her memory of the arcanist’s capabilities.</p><p></p><p>“The one who hit me,” she said. “That was Toros, wasn’t it? He’s still here, with you?”</p><p></p><p>“Toros, yes, and Vesca as well. They remained loyal. They were not ungrateful.”</p><p></p><p>“Ungrateful?” she asked. “How you can use that word without choking on it is a mystery to me. You tortured us, trained us to be your tools, your weapons. That was all we were to you.”</p><p></p><p>“Such a narrow view,” he told her. “I remember you as always being incapable of comprehending the greater truth, Xeeta. We birthed you, we brought you into this world. It was our guidance that helped you to reach your full potential. Surely you have learned this truth in your time in the world outside Li Syval. You are superior to the so-called civilized folk of Voralis. You are Blooded, destined to be rulers of these lands.”</p><p></p><p>“You call us rulers, I call us slaves. You cared about us only insofar as we increased your power.”</p><p></p><p>“You still do not understand, but I see that you will not believe me. But it does not matter. Your coming here, it means so much. Your return will allow the project to be reborn. I have learned much since the day you left us. You will help us reach new heights.”</p><p></p><p>“I will never help you,” she said.</p><p></p><p>“Why, my dear… you’ve helped so much already, just by coming here. As for the rest, well, your active cooperation is not necessary.”</p><p></p><p>Xeeta surged up and pulled hard on her chains, but they still refused to give. She extended a hand toward the gate, summoning her magic in a vague hope that she could somehow overcome Kalev’s ward. But he was already spellcasting, and as he held his hand out she could see sand sifting out from between his fingers. She tried to resist, tried to overcome the magic of his spell, but there was no escape as she slowly slumped to the hard floor and drifted into the cold embrace of sleep.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7536126, member: 143"] Chapter 232 Xeeta woke in a dank stone chamber. A foul odor assaulted her nostrils, but the smell was quickly overwhelmed by a sharp spike of pain as she tried to lift her head. She groaned and tried to get a better look at her surroundings without moving. It was dark, but her tiefling heritage allowed her to make out details of the chamber. Not that there was much to see. There was one exit, a narrow opening in one wall that was warded by a heavy iron gate. An iron pipe as thick around as her waist emerged from one wall and exited via the opposite. It was heavily flaked with rust but looked no less solid for it. She tried again to get up, slowly shifting her hands to support her. That was when she realized that she was restrained. That recognition overcame her pain, and she scrambled up, ignoring the angry pulses of protest inside her skull. She was secured by shackles that linked to a chain that circled around the pipe. A second chain attached to an iron cuff wrapped tight around her neck. A guttural sound came from her throat as she yanked hard on the chains. Panic gave her strength, but the chains were so thick that even Quellan would not have been able to part them with raw strength alone. The thought of her friends allowed some hint of clarity to slip back into her mind. She released the chains and turned to her magic. For a moment she feared that her captors had done something to restrict her powers, but then she felt a surge of relief as the Demon stirred within her. Her first effort was an [i]alter self[/i] spell. She shifted her form to become taller and leaner. With an effort she was able to slip the shackles off her wrists, ignoring the fresh pains as the metal edges scraped her skin. She turned to the band around her neck, but while it had loosened there was no way she could get it over her head. She pushed the spell as far as she could, until she could feel the bones grinding in her head, but it was no use. Defeated, she slumped back to the floor, resuming her normal form. She had no idea how long she sat there like that, but eventually a sound drew her attention up. It had come from the direction of the gate. She shuffled as far as the chain would allow her in that direction, but the sound was not repeated. She slid the loose chain from around the pipe. The manacles at the ends gave them decent weight, but they would be useless as a weapon if she could not get free of the neck shackle. She considered pulling the chain taut and striking it with one of the manacles, but realized that the sound of metal striking metal would echo throughout this place. She suspected that she was somewhere in the sewers under Li Syval. She had spent some time in those foul tunnels while working for the cult, but she did not recognize this particular location. With luck, she’d be able to get her bearings once she was out of this cell. She pulled on the chain and held it tight against the pipe. She summoned her magic and unleashed a stream of fire against it. The flames surged against the iron, searing away flakes of rust, filling the room with heat. Smoke swirled around her but she kept on, sharpening her focus until the fire roared like an angry beast. The chain and the surrounding pipe began to glow, and she could feel the heat swelling in the hand holding the chain. She let it go, using just the tension of the manacle around her neck to keep the chain taut. It was becoming difficult to breathe. Still she kept up the flame. She poured everything she had from her reservoir into the assault, until the band around her neck began to sear against her flesh. She yanked back, trying to part the heated chain, but it held. She lifted the loose chain to strike, but she hesitated as she felt something else stirring within her. It was the Demon, called by the swelling of her magic, eager to be set free. Sudden panic filled her and she released the flames. She fell to the floor, coughing, trying to ignore the pain of her burned neck. “Impressive,” came a voice from the grate. “Truly, you have grown.” She spun reflexively and hurled a [i]fire bolt[/i] that streaked toward the exit. Her cast had been accurate, but as the burning streak approached the iron bars it suddenly dissolved into nothing. “Kalev,” she breathed. “I thought you were dead.” “I survived,” he said. “No thanks to you and your friends.” “I dreamed of your death,” she said. “I pictured a hundred scenarios where you met the fate you have earned.” “The circle was broken,” he said, “But I held on, lived on through the long aftermath unleashed by your betrayal. I knew, you see. Knew you or one of your escaped kin would return here one day. You are part of us, and we are part of you. When I felt you start to draw close, I knew that our hour of rebirth was upon us.” She recoiled from his words, but forced herself to remain alert, to look for any opening that might present itself. She could vaguely sense the protective aura that surrounded him, the field that had disrupted her spell. That was potent magic indeed, and beyond what she remembered from before. That meant that she could not rely upon her memory of the arcanist’s capabilities. “The one who hit me,” she said. “That was Toros, wasn’t it? He’s still here, with you?” “Toros, yes, and Vesca as well. They remained loyal. They were not ungrateful.” “Ungrateful?” she asked. “How you can use that word without choking on it is a mystery to me. You tortured us, trained us to be your tools, your weapons. That was all we were to you.” “Such a narrow view,” he told her. “I remember you as always being incapable of comprehending the greater truth, Xeeta. We birthed you, we brought you into this world. It was our guidance that helped you to reach your full potential. Surely you have learned this truth in your time in the world outside Li Syval. You are superior to the so-called civilized folk of Voralis. You are Blooded, destined to be rulers of these lands.” “You call us rulers, I call us slaves. You cared about us only insofar as we increased your power.” “You still do not understand, but I see that you will not believe me. But it does not matter. Your coming here, it means so much. Your return will allow the project to be reborn. I have learned much since the day you left us. You will help us reach new heights.” “I will never help you,” she said. “Why, my dear… you’ve helped so much already, just by coming here. As for the rest, well, your active cooperation is not necessary.” Xeeta surged up and pulled hard on her chains, but they still refused to give. She extended a hand toward the gate, summoning her magic in a vague hope that she could somehow overcome Kalev’s ward. But he was already spellcasting, and as he held his hand out she could see sand sifting out from between his fingers. She tried to resist, tried to overcome the magic of his spell, but there was no escape as she slowly slumped to the hard floor and drifted into the cold embrace of sleep. [/QUOTE]
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